Brazil, it turns out, can do funny things even to the steadiest traveller. Four days into the opening chapter of this World Cup of goals, counter-attack and intense high-speed incision it turns out even Roy Hodgson has joined the party, squeezing himself into his skinniest pair of tactical jeans and by the end of a steamy night in the perfumed cauldron of the Arena Amazônia pretty much having to be dragged off the dance floor, caipirinha in hand, feet still tapping out a samba of fast-breaking wing play.

By the end of a match England started with three viable centre-forwards, Hodgson had three No10s on the pitch and a midfield two of Jack Wilshere and Steven Gerrard both of whom have also been known to play behind a front man in their time. Attack they said. And England did. Which is all very well. But what about the details behind this. Specifically – what about that defence?

In a way Hodgson is already unlucky at this World Cup. It is perhaps no more than a cyclical thing but the fact is no matter what alchemy he manages to effect on England’s historic weakness – the ingrained straight lines of their attack – he will still be undermined by weakness in a position of historic strength, specifically the lack of depth in defence and a general step down in quality.

England may have attacked with more élan than at any tournament since Euro 2004 and the salad days of Peak Rooney, but the defence looked as callow on the flanks in Manaus as it has at any time in recent tournament history. All analysis is skewed by events – lapses in focus, the excellence of the opposition – but there is a fair chance had Hodgson been blessed with the 2002 World Cup defence England would currently be celebrating a creditable draw at least, with Hodgson’s flank-based cavaliers praised for their sense of vim.

Of course the two things are linked. On paper a left flank of Wayne Rooney and Leighton Baines is some way short of catenaccio-style lockdown, while Danny Welbeck and Glen Johnson on the right is a defence of attackers. Against this, Manaus was a first defeat for Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill as a starting pair in 13 matches, and England were hardly ripped to shreds on the flanks by Italy. It is more that at vital moments they were lacking the unwavering precision and focus required against a team of Italy’s well-seasoned craft. Baines was beaten too easily for the cross that led to Mario Ballotelli’s winning goal.

Small margins of course, just as Claudio Marchisio’s opener for Italy was a fine execution helped by a dreamy full body shrug of a dummy by Andrea Pirlo. But the ball still managed to travel 60 yards across and through England’s defence without a defender or midfielder touching it, reading the play, or at least preventing Marchisio having such a strollingly easy touch before his shot.

Fine margins again, but high-class defending is a matter of fine margins and instinctive hustling intelligence. England will be punished again here for such slackness. Luis Suárez’s ferreting-off-the-cuff sense of adventure is entirely geared to punishing moments of doubt in a less than perfect defence. How to tighten without losing that fast-breaking panache is Hodgson’s challenge now.

The most obvious solution can be dispensed with straight away. Ashley Cole, the best defensive left-back in England, is currently on holiday. And here is the slight discord in Hodgson’s approach. If England really are going to play with their most progressive front four, perhaps they might have considered selecting more defensively secure full-backs.

In Manaus, with both full-backs more exposed than they have been, a little bit of Cole, an expert one-on-one defender, might have been just the thing. As for right-backs, in a fallow time the best purely defensive option might have been Phil Jones (which feels a little odd as a statement in itself) or perhaps Johnson’s Liverpool team-mate Jon Flanagan, who is not in the squad.

At least in showing vulnerability on the flanks England are once again keeping up with the broader trends of this tournament. The dominance of the possession game and the condensing of space in midfield has transformed full-back play in recent years. The defensive technician has often been phased out in favour of ball-playing marauders able to tuck into midfield where required or play high up the pitch as an attacking overload. It is here that the counterattacking revolution so clearly apparent at the start of this World Cup has often struck with so many goals coming from that space a defensive full-back might have occupied.

Croatia exploited Dani Alves’s wanderlust in the opening match. Ivory Coast scored two lovely goals from headers against Japan. The supply line from Daley Blind on Holland’s left was key to the demolition of Spain. Poor full-back cover and a lack of tightness has been a tangible feature in the festival of goals spectators have enjoyed so far, an example of one emerging system (counterattack) intersecting productively with a point of weakness in another as it recedes a little.

Quite what England do about all this now is a more immediate question. There is, of course, a nice paradox in the spectacle of a renowned defensive coach retreating into the jungle and emerging Kurtz-like as a prophet of attacking abandon. But Hodgson’s instincts remain and he will surely instruct Rooney or whoever plays on the left to track back more diligently to cover Baines in São Paulo. The alternative is to introduce a more midfielder-ish presence on the flank. James Milner is an underrated footballer when played anywhere other than as a shuttle runner in a 4-4-2. He has filled that advance flank role brilliantly for Manchester City at times.

Beyond this, England must simply work with what that they have. It feels essential whatever the result in Manaus that they maintain that spirit of adventure, but perhaps with the wings of their flying full-backs clipped a little, and with wide attackers and the central pivot always wary of the Brazil 2014-style threat of the flanks. Hodgson exposed a weakness by unleashing a strength against Italy. How he balances that now will be fascinating to watch.

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